Every two weeks, the seminary community at Seattle Pacific University gathers for worship and table fellowship. This quarter, I’ve been coordinating and leading worship. This Tuesday was All Saint’s Day. It’s not something well celebrated here in North America–at least not in non-ethnic communities. Because I didn’t have a chance to celebrate it as I typically do, I designed the order of worship to make space to remember those saints who have gone before and to help us imagine or re-imagine sainthood.

I chose Matthew 12:1-5, where Jesus preaches his Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5-7]. As Wesleyans, this text is central to our understanding of sanctifying graceas we strive to move towards Christian perfection by living in a manner attentive and responsive to the work God is doing in, through and around us. In this way, we all have a chance at sainthood, so to speak.

Additional texts, such as the prayer by Safiah Fosua are borrowed from the UMC’s Board of Discipleship page, where worship resources abound. The image, A Gathering of Spirits was created by Jan Richardson, United Methodist clergy and artist.